I’m graduating high school next year and have to start applying for colleges soon. I’m torn, though, because I love snowboarding, but I don’t want to be 30 years old and have never gone to school. Is there a way to do both? Did any of you go to college or have you ever considered doing it when you’re done being pro?

Thanks!

Rita

Hey Rita,

You can definitely do both. I went in for the long haul right at seventeen and did five and a half years of university straight-then moved to Whistler afterward. My parents refused to let me make the move until after I finished my degree, so I joined the snowboard club in college and was an avid weekend warrior-yeah! It was good, but I was still learning 360s at that time.

If I were you and wanted to fully commit to snowboarding, I’d go to school in the fall, take the winters off, then return for the spring and summer terms. This way you’ll get your school and snowboarding done in the same amount of time as all your high school friends. Best of both worlds really. I have a bunch of friends who are on that program in Whistler, and it works out. You can even try correspondence courses … but in my opinion, that’s the hardest route. School is always there for you, even if you decide to snowboard ’til you’re 80-but you’ll definitely want to attend when you’re younger so that you can enjoy the full university experience (hot guys your age). Good luck!

Leanne

I’ve been doing some regional contests at my home mountain, and I was wondering, are girls’ competitions different from guys’ comps on the pro level? Like, are girls more or less competitive or supportive of each other? Or is it pretty much the same?

Mason

Hi Mason!

I’d say it absolutely depends on what level of competition you’re riding at. When I started competing in little national pipe contests back in Germany, I had a pretty hard time. The older girls weren’t very nice to me-bad looks, people whispering behind my back, people happy when I fell. It sucked. Later I realized they were just scared of the younger upcoming riders. However, once I made it past this local level, it all got friendlier and better. Everyone knows each other and their riding, and instead of feeling like this little girl who’s trying to prove herself in a big scary snowboard world, I started feeling like a part of something good that was constantly improving. Girls who are confident about their riding are normally not jealous-they respect people who can do stuff they can’t yet do themselves. Most girls are friends on the international-level slopestyle contests I compete in, and everyone is stoked to see good riding-it motivates people to push their own level a bit further.

As for guys’ contests, I’m not a guy myself, but I heard that they think girls seem more supportive than guys, mainly because we know each other better. There’re way more guys competing on every ability level, and that creates a more competitive atmosphere. I don’t know if there’s really any difference. I think it really depends on the kind of contest you do, the format, the setup, the importance of the event, and even stuff like the weather and conditions. A real jam session in sunshine will always be an easier contest than some best-of-two-runs final at 4:00 p.m. on icy big jumps with 20,000 dollars prize money-no matter if you’re a girl or guy!

Sylvia

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